In 1906, in San Jose, California, an impressive, intimidating, and haunting construction project is underway — in fact, this never-ending project is worked on 24 hours a day. After the deaths of her husband and infant daughter, Sarah Winchester (Helen Mirren, “Eye in the Sky”) began ordering renovations on the family home. Heiress to the…
Few franchises have been as financially successful and beloved as the low budget darling that is Leigh Whannell’s “Insidious” franchise. The initial installment, “Insidious” was praised for it’s vintage, minimalist approach and boasted a $97 million dollar box office gross against a $1.5 million dollar budget. It’s balanced execution of claustrophobic cinematography and traditional jump…
There aren’t many contemporary horror features — mainstream or independent — that one can boast as being pleasantly imaginative, thought-provoking or metaphysically intriguing. Writer-director-producer Michael Williams, breaks that notion by placing his profoundly frightening fingerprints upon the tension-filled, captivating horror suspense feature, The Atoning. Thoroughly engaging, contemplative and percolating with loads of mystique, Williams brings…
Though an estranged family tackling a bank heist in order to save a sibling is a recipe for interesting discourses by way of “Dog Day Afternoon,” The Vault, unfortunately is not that kind of film. Dan Bush cut his teeth co-directing, co-writing and co-editing the extraordinarily effective thriller/horror “The Signal,” followed by the overlooked yet…
Europe, the years immediately preceding World War 2. Laura (Natalie Portman, “Jackie”) and Kate (Lily-Rose Depp, “Yoga Hosers”) are sisters who have been trekking around the continent performing their psychic act; Laura is the host, and Kate the one who actually communicates with the spirits. They work hard and are good at what they do,…
“And we’re lost out here in the stars. Little stars, big stars, blowing through the night” — Kurt Weill Though the consensus of mainstream science is that ghosts do not exist, people’s shared experiences throughout history tell us that disembodied spirits do wander the earth, unfortunate souls who are unable to let go of their…
I didn’t think a comedy called Teenage Ghost Punk would be anything but a hot mess that tried too hard to be funny, but I was pleasantly surprised. It ain’t just funny; it’s uproarious, with a creative bent not often seen in the horror-comedy genre. Carol (Adria Dawn, “Uncle John”)is a middle-aged divorcee who’s left…
